With its gothic imagery and spooky storylines, Lauren’s Blackwood’s had us blood thirsty for more. So we asked her to serve up some scary-good book recs that will have you hiding under the covers and asked all of you what spooky books you love too!
White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson
When Mari’s family moves for her mom’s new opportunity, the house they’re given is unnervingly perfect compared to the run-down houses surrounding it. Turns out the nice remodel is hiding a haunted secret, but getting to the bottom of it might just be Mari’s end. With a stark look at gentrification and spine-tingling ghostly activity, you’ll want to read this one with the light on.
Small Favors by Erin Craig
There are monsters in the forest that will grant your deepest desire…but at what cost? Ellerie must find a way protect everyone she loves in her secluded mountain town. It’s unsettling, atmospheric, and will make you second-guess the person sitting next to you.
Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone
Our heroine Leta is forced to move into a haunted house, where the handsome owner is rumored to have drown his entire family. But she finds there may be even darker secrets than bodies lurking beneath the sinister lake. This book is romantic and moody, but somehow also a comfort read for me—like a midnight thunderstorm.
Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis
Katrell is barely making ends meet with her job as a medium, but when she discovers she can raise the dead she sees her way out of poverty…until she’s realized the lives she’s raised aren’t so benevolent. Raw and relatable, it takes a look at tough choices in a haunting fashion. This book will destroy you.
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
A classic for you! When a scientist discovers a way to turn invisible, no one is ready for the reign of violence he inflicts on his city. Short but nowhere near sweet, it’s a brutal display of humanity and what power does to people.
In an Itty Bitty Book Committee, we asked what your favorite spooky reads were. You named… The Shining, The Witching Hour, The Haunting of Hill House, The Hour of the Witch, Home Before Dark, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Year of the Witching, The Amityville Horror, Mexican Gothic, Rebecca, The Woman in the Mirror, The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, The Turn of the Screw, Salem’s Lot, Pet Smatary, The Vampire Chronicles, Joyland, Dark Places, Sleeping Beauties, The Ex Hex, Kill Creek, The Whisper Man, The Girls, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Sundown Motel, The Witch of Willow Hall, The Final Girl Support Group, The Other Black Girl, and A Cosmology of Monsters.
